Bipolar disorder, also
known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual
shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from
the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of
bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships,
poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news:
bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead
full and productive lives.
More than 2 million American adults or
about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year have
bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence
or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during
childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized
as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly
diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is
a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person's
life.
Episodes of mania and depression typically recur across the
life span. Between episodes, most people with bipolar disorder are free of
symptoms, but as many as one-third of people have some residual symptoms.
A small percentage of people experience chronic unremitting symptoms
despite treatment.
The classic form of the illness, which involves
recurrent episodes of mania and depression, is called bipolar I disorder.
Some people, however, never develop severe mania but instead experience
milder episodes of hypomania that alternate with depression; this form of
the illness is called bipolar II disorder. When four or more episodes of
illness occur within a 12-month period, a person is said to have
rapid-cycling bipolar disorder. Some people experience multiple episodes
within a single week, or even within a single day. Rapid cycling tends to
develop later in the course of illness and is more common among women than
among men.
People with bipolar disorder can lead healthy and
productive lives when the illness is effectively treated. Without
treatment, however, the natural course of bipolar disorder tends to
worsen. Over time a person may suffer more frequent (more rapid-cycling)
and more severe manic and depressive episodes than those experienced when
the illness first appeared. But in most cases, proper treatment can help
reduce the frequency and severity of episodes and can help people with
bipolar disorder maintain good quality of life.
Like other mental
illnesses, bipolar disorder cannot yet be identified physiologically—for
example, through a blood test or a brain scan. Therefore, a diagnosis of
bipolar disorder is made on the basis of symptoms, course of illness, and,
when available, family history. The diagnostic criteria for bipolar
disorder are described in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental
Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV).
Related
Topics:
Symptoms of Bipolar
Disorder
Causes of Bipolar
Disorder
Treatment of Bipolar
Disorder
Bipolar Disorder in Children
and Adolescents
Source: U.S. National
Institute of Mental Health |
